Why you should care

In politics, sometimes it’s what you don’t talk about that matters. Democrats and Republicans planning their political campaigns for 2014 and 2016 may be focusing on the Hispanic demographics in the United States, but perhaps they should turn their focus on another rising group: the “nones” — a term used to describe religiously unaffiliated people. This group of people often gets turned off when politicians mix religion into their policies, especially when it comes to women’s reproductive rights and same-sex marriage. Millennials are increasingly turning their back on religious affiliations, and it seems like they may want their politicians to leave their religious beliefs out of politics. Dems and Repubs, are you listening?

When the GOP talks about reaching out to people of color, it often references Latinos or immigrants as the kind of people who embrace hard work. Well, guess what? What conservatives have wanted for years — a driven, focused, African-American population — is right in front of them. These black men want to succeed, and they will succeed. They would welcome — much more than the GOP might expect — conservative, real-world solutions that offer tangible opportunities in exchange for results. Indeed, the real opportunity here is for that rare politician to recognize this significant demographic, just like Ronald Reagan did with blue-collar workers, the so-called Reagan Democrats. But it will take someone who can take their concerns seriously. Conservatives looking for a real point of distinction would do well to engage black men and cultivate their ambitions.

Democrats may want to dismiss Chris Christie’s success with Latino voters, but if they do, they may just miss out on one of the biggest and most influential voting blocs in 2016. As Latinos have spread across the country, so have Latino conservatives. OZY looks at some of the movement’s rising stars, who advocate policies indistinguishable from the mainstream or far-right elements of their party: pro-growth business measures, lower taxes, smaller government, curtailed entitlements, pro-life, school choice, anti-Affordable Care Act. The list goes on, begging the question: What’s Latino about them at all?